Holder for spinning top



Jan. 24, $1967 P. B. ARBOLADU-RA 3,299,563

HOLDER FOR SPINNING TOP Filed Nov. 18, 1963 INVENTOR,

PEDRO 5. ARBOLADURA;

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,299,563 HOLDER FOR SPINNING TOP Pedro B.Arboladura, 261 Rosemont Ave., Los Angeles, Calif. 90026 Filed Nov. 18,1963, Ser. No. 324,269 1 Claim. (Cl. 4672) The present invention relatesto a spinning top and holder and has for an object a constructionwhereby tops of any form and particularly a top having two spinningpoints, may be held in a position which permits the operator tostabilize the top and to rapidly spin the same through the medium of apull cord.

Double ended tops or tops that have two spinning points which are spacedapart axially are diflicult to stabilize so that the top may be spun.The present invention holds a top having two spinning points so that thetop may be rapidly rotated by a pull cord without the holder imposingtoo great a friction against the top which would impede its rotation.Accordingly, in my invention I have provided a holder adapted tosurround a top with the spinning point exposed for surface engagementtogether with means for the holder which stabilizes the top while thetop is spun and which holder readily releases the top.

Other objects include a holder for a spinning top which is inexpensivein cost of manufacture, easily positioned relative to the top, eflicientin operation, and generally superior to devices now known to theinventor for holding a spinning top.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a separated view showing a double pointed top in perspectiveand positioned above a holder for the top, the holder being shown infragment and in perspective; and,

FIGURE 2 is a transverse sectional view of the top and the holder, thetop being positioned within the holder.

While the holder of the invention is particularly adapted for a doublepointed top of the character shown in the figures, the holdernevertheless is likewise adaptable to single spinning point tops. Thetop 1 as shown in the drawing is of a type which has two identical sizesep .arated circular disks 2 and 3 centrally secured to a stem orspindle 4, the disks 2 and 3 being parallel as shown. Secured to eachdisk is an identically sized and formed frust0-conical cap 5 and 6 theapex of each frusto-conical cap providing a spinning point, as shown at7 and 8. The stem or spindle 4 lies on the axis of the spinning points 7and 8, and ends of the spindle may abut the interior of thefrustoconical caps, for stabilizing purposes as shown at 9 and 10. Eachfrusto-conical cap is provided with aligned perpendicular annularflanges 11 and 12 which are provided with annular shoulder portions 13and 14 for receiving edges of the respective disks 2 and 3. It isintended that a pull cord 15 should be wound upon the stem or spindle inthe annular space between the disks 2 and 3, as shown at 16.

A top of the type just described is hard to stabilize or hold; i.e., tospin the top after the pull cord has been wound about the stem as shownat 16. Obviously, the top must be held and. the pull cord given a rapidpull in order to rotate the top on one of the selected spinning points 7or 8. Accordingly, my invention is adapted to stabilize the top during apulling of the pull cord 15.

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The holder 18 comprises an outer cuplike member 20 having an annularside wall 21 and a wall 22 closing one end of the annular wall, theopposite end of the annular wall is open, as shown at 23. The open endof the side wall 21 is provided with spaced apart inwardly extendingkeyhole grooves 24 and within the member 20 is an inner cuplike member25 having an end wall 26 and an annular side wall 27, the wall 26 beingsecured to the end wall 22. The annular side walls 21 and 27 areconcentric. The annular side wall 27 terminates in an outwardlyextending curved rim 28.

The side wall 21 of the outer cuplike member has an internal diametergreater than the greatest diameter portion of the top 1 so as to looselyreceive the top within the confines of the annular side wall 21. Thedepth of the side wall 27 of the inner cuplike member 25 together withthe outwardly curved rim 28 is such as to lightly engage the peripheryof a fnusto-conical cap while holding a spinning point 7 or 8 spacedfrom the wall 26.

The operation, uses and advantages of my invention are as follows.

I am assuming for the present that -a top of the type shown in thedrawing is contemplated, and accordingly, the operator will first windthe pull cord 15 about the spindle 4 between the disks 2 and 3, as shownat 16 in FIGURE 2. The holder 18 is positioned so as to stabilize thetop 1 by inverting the holder from the position of FIGURE 1 to that ofFIGURE 2 with a length of the pull cord 15 received in one of thekeyhole slots 24. Thus, a portion of the pull cord will extend outwardlyfrom the side wall 21, as shown in FIGURE 2. A spinning point, such as8, is then positioned on a surface such as 30, the operator grasping theholder 18 with the top therein. It will be noted that the position ofthe holder is such that there is no interference with the pull cord dueto the keyhole slots directly communicating with the space between thedisks 2 and 3. The operator then lightly holds the holder 18 so thatthere is light engagement between the curved rim 28 of member 25 and thesurface of the frusto-conical cap 5, in fact, the holder may be slightlyelevated and still maintain stability of the top. The operator thenpulls sharply upon the pull cord 15 which will unwind the cord fromabout the spindle, producing rapid rotation of the top on its spinningpoint. Release of the pull cord from the spindle of the top permits araising of the holder from the top, as shown by the dotted lines inFIGURE 2.

The ordinary spinning top has an inverted, pear shape body provided witha spinning point, with a stem extending from the body in axial alignmentwith the spinning point and around which stem .a pull cord is adapted tobe wound. The present invention will function with this type of top asthe stem may be received within the confines of the member 25 with theoutwardly curved rim 28 lightly engaging the top body with the cordextending outwardly from the side wall 21.

I claim:

A holder for a top of the type which has a body formed to provide twoaxially aligned spinning points, and around which apull cord may bewound to spin the top, said holder including: outer and inner cuplikemembers fixedly secured together, the outer cuplike member having anannular side wall and an end wall, the opposite end being open; saidannular side wall having a greater diameter than the greatest diameterof the body of the top, one spinning point of the top adapted to bereceived within the holder through the open end of the outer cuplikemember and the inner cuplike member having an annular side Wall providedwith an outwardly curved rim, the annular side walls of the outer andinner cuplike members being concentric, with the curved rim of the innercuplike member adapted to engage the body of the top, said annular sidewall of the outer cuplike member being provided with spaced apartkeyhole grooves extending inwardly from the outer edge thereof, andwhich keyhole grooves communicate with the interior of the outer cuplikemember at points spaced below the curved rim of the inner cuplike membera distance such that a cord passed through a groove can be wound uponthe spindle of a top having its upper curved surface engaging said rim.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1933 Morgan4670 10/ 1952 Darden 4664 DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner.

R. F. CUTTING, Assistant Examiner.

